End-closing, top-opening shipping container



May 17, 1955 T. L. SElTH END-CLOSING, TOP-OPENING SHIPPING CONTAINER 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 3, 1950 Z'mnentor attorneys T/ACODORZ L 5507/May 17, 1955 T. L. SEITH 2,708,545

END-CLOSING, TOP-OPENING SHIPPING CONTAINER Filed Jan. 3, 1950 2Sheets-Sheet 2 3nventor MZMMWM attorney United States PatentEND-CLOSING, T OP-OPENING SHIPPING CONTAINER Theodore L. Seith, ElmGrove, Wis., assignor to Cornell Paperboard Products Co., a corporationof Wisconsin Application January 3, 1950, Serial No. 136,588 2 Claims.(Cl. 229-51) This invention relates to an end-closing, top-openingshipping container.

Shipping containers of the conventional type having lapping flaps whichare either glued or stapled together are materially less expensive whensuch flaps are provided at the end of the container than when such flapsare provided on one of the faces, the reason being that the larger areaof the flaps, when these are provided on the faces of the container,requires considerably more stock than is required when the lapping flapsare at the ends.

Yet, for certain purposes, it is not acceptable to the trade to providea container which is end-opening. As an example, reference is made tocontainers in which a number of small parcels are packaged for shipment,the nature of the parcels being such that the retail merchant may desireto expose them all simultaneously for marking, without removing themfrom the container. If the container must be opened at its end, it maybe that only one, or at best, a few, of the parcels therein will beexposed when the end flaps are opened. Hence, for bags or other parcelswhich are to be price marked in the container, it has been conventionalpractice to use containers of the top flap closure type, despite thegreater cost of such containers.

The present invention has for its object the provision of a containerwhich, without sacrifice of strength, and without increase in cost, willprovide a combination of end flap closures and top opening, therebyyielding the convenience of a container having a top flap closure at thecost of a container having an end flap closure.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a container which canbe manufactured on a standard machine and erected, filled and end sealedin accordance with conventional practice and may nevertheless be openedwith greater facility than the ordinary container with glued or stapledtop flaps to expose the entire area of its contents.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a container blank embodyin a preferred form ofmy invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view showing in perspective the end of the blankas closed for shipment to the user.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view showing in perspective the end of the blankas it appears when erected for use.

Fig. 4 is a view in perspective on a somewhat reduced scale showing acomplete container embodying the invention as it appears when the tapeis being stripped therefrom for opening purposes.

Fig. 5 is a view in perspective showing the container as it appears whenopen.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a blank used in a modified embodiment of theinvention.

Figs. 7, 8, 9 and 10 are views similar to Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5,respectively, and showing the modified embodiment of the invention.

It is broadly immaterial what stock is used. Cardboard, fiberboard andcorrugated board are all suitable. With slight changes hereinafternoted, the blank is con- 2 ventional, being subdivided by score lines11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24 and marginalslits at 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 and 32 to provide a bottom panel 33,side panels 34, 35, top panels 36, 37, internal end flaps 38, 39, 40 and41 and external end flaps 42, 43, 44, 45, 46 and 47.

For the purposes of the present invention, the top panels as and 37 areprovided with means for facilitating the initiation of tears in suchflaps, as by means of slits 50, 51, 52 and 53 or rows of perforations54, 55, 56 and 57, both being shown, but either being usable without theother if desired. These means for facilitating the initiation of tearingcan conveniently be made on the conventional box-making machinerythrough the use of added dies. in order that they may be thus made,without a separate operation, and for no other reason, the said means isdesirably spaced inwardly from the respective score lines 18, 19, 23 and24. It is unnecessary that the means for facilitating the initiation oftearing shall extend for any substantial distance inwardly from the endsof the blank.

It is also desirable, though not essential to the invention, to provideat the four corners of the blank upon the flaps 44, 45, 46 and 47thereof, areas 59, 60, 61 and 62 which are printed or otherwise coatedwith ink, wax, paint, varnish, shellac or the like to provide a smoothsurface to which the adhesive of the sealing tape 65 will not adhere asintimately as it does to the paper surfaces of the blank. Since mostsuch blanks are printed with advertising or identifying material in thecourse of their manufacture, it involves no extra operation to providethe coated surfaces as indicated.

The blank is now completed in readiness for shipping by folding it uponscorelines 11 and 21 to bring its free end margins of panels 36 and 37into proximity, and joining these margins by applying the adhesivelycoated tape 65 thereto in the usual way.

The shipper supplied with such a folded blank erects it in the usualmanner for use as shown in Fig. 3 and fills it through the open end orends. These will then be closed by gluing or stapling the flaps 44, 45and42 to flaps 38, 39, staples being shown at 66 in the container ofFigs. 1 to 5, and the closure flaps of the container of Figs. 6 to 10being glued.

Regardless of whether the lapping flaps are stapled or glued, andregardless of Whether they are located at the ends or, the top, theopening of the containers by the separation of such flaps is a difficulttask. If the common opening knife is used, it may also be a dangeroustask. The present container, however, is designed to be openedelsewhere.

The adhesion of the gummed tape 65 to the uncoated portions of the blankis so tight that the tape can only be removed by tearing away with itthe side of the paper stock to which it is adherent. Consequently, itwould be difiicult to remove the tape but for the provision of thecoated surfaces at 59, 60,- 61 and 62 to'which' the ends of the tapeadhere. The adhesion to such surfaces is sufficiently less than theadhesion of the tape to the uncoated surfaces so that the operator canreadily dislodge the extreme endof the tape and can obtain a securegrasp thereof for the purpose of stripping the entire tape from thecontainer, the initiation of this operation being portrayed in Fig. 4.

The removal of the tape will expose the means for defining the points ofinitiation of tearing, such means desirably comprising the slits at 50,51, 52 and 53 which, solely for convenience of manufacture, arepreferably spaced slightly inwardly from the top end margins of thecontainer. The removal of the tape also leaves the margins of the coverpanels 36 and 37 exposed so that the operator can readily manipulate hisfingers between them, and, grasping one of such margins, can readilypull the central portions of the cover panels free from the respectiveend closure flaps with which they are integral. The slits at 50 and 51will facilitate the initiation of tearing of the central portion ofpanel 36 from the extreme marginal portions thereof and from integralend flaps 44 and 46. Usually the tearing will proceed along thescorelines 18 and 19 which are adjac nt to the points of initiation.Similarly, when the panel 37 is subjected to tension, it will start totear upon the slits 52 and 53 and the tearing will usually proceed alongthe scorelines 23 and 24 to sever the panel from integral flaps 45 and47. The panels, when torn free, readily open to the positions shown inFig. 5, leaving the entire contents of the carton exposed throughout itsarea.

In the construction shown in Figs. 6 to 10, the general construction isconventional, differing from the construction previously describedprincipally in the fact that the top of the container is made up of asingle panel 360 which has continuous end flaps 440 and 460, as distintguished from the container top shown in Figs. 1 to 5 which is made up oftwo narrow panels 36 and 37 and correspondingly narrower end flaps.Thus, the joint required for the completion of the carton wall islocated along one top side margin of the container instead of down thecenter of the top. A piece of fabric or other tape designated at 650 isused to connect the broad top panel 360 with the free margin of the sidepanel 35 which is contiguous thereto in the folded blank as shown inFig. 7 and in the erected carton as shown in Figs. 8 I

The means for defining the points of initiation of tearing may comprisethe slits 500 and 510 which are located just within the scorelines 180and 190 bounding panels 360. While these slits may be straight, as inthe previously described embodiment, it is also possible, in eitherembodiment, to make them obliquely divergent as best shown in Fig. 6, atthe points where they enter the margin, thereafter straightening outinto substantial parallelism with, and immediate proximity to, thescorelines 180 and 190, along which tearing will usually proceed whenthe box is opened.

As in previous embodiments, it is deemed desirable to print at 590, 600,610 and 620, coatings to which the adhesive of tape 650 will adhererelatively lightly so as to facilitate the initiation of the operationof stripping the tape from the container.

As in the previously described embodiment, the container is designed tobe filled through its open end when it has been erected to the formshown in Fig. 8. It will then be sealed by adhesively coating flaps 40and 47 and pressing flaps 43 and 460 into contact with the adhesive. Orthese lapping flaps may be stapled as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, as abovedescribed. In either case, the type of connection made with the adhesiveor staples is so permanent, and so difiicult to open, and the amount ofsurface exposed when they are opened is so slight, that it becomes muchmore desirable to open the container elsewhere.

Accordingly, the user will free one end of the tape 650 from the coatedareas 590, 600 and, thereby acquiring a firm grasp on the end of thetape, will strip ofithe tape as shown in Fig. 9. This will expose onemargin of the top panel 360 of the container. The user can readilythrust his fingers between panel 360 and the adjacent margin of the sidewall panel 35. Thereupon the top panel will be pulled free, readilytearing at the points defined by the slits 500, 510. Thereupon, theentire cross sectional area, or substantially the entire area, isexposed as shown in Fig. 10, all of the small boxes, bags or otherpackages or units therein, across such area, being available for displayor for the lettering of pricemarks thereon or other purposes.

I claim:

1. A container having wall portions in series connection and definedintermediate the end of the series by scorelines, the said wall portionsbeing folded upon the scorelines to comprise a container body havinglapping portions only at the end thereof, a tape connecting the wallportions at the ends of the series to complete such body, the tapehaving adhesive connection with said last mentioned wall portions, flapson the several wall portions, opposing flaps at each end of the bodycomprising inner flaps, and other opposing flaps at each end of the bodycomprising outer flaps, the outer flaps being permanently sealed to theinner flaps to close the. ends of the container, one of the wallportions with which said tape is connected being provided with marginalslits at opposite ends of the container defining points of initiation oftearing to facilitate the opening of the container by tearing the lastmentioned wall portion therefrom, leaving the flaps originally part ofsuch wall portion fixed in the ends of the remaining body of thecontainer, the parts of the wall portions of the container to which saidtape is adherent having coatings underlying at least one end of the tapeand to which such tape end is less adherent than to uncoated wallportions of the container, whereby to facilitate stripping the tape fromthe container to expose said slits.

2. The device of claim 1 in which the slits extend obliquely toward thescorelines upon which said flaps are folded respecting the wall portionswith which the tape is connected.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

